Madeleine McCann 3 year old missing in Portugal

[missacorah]

Madeleine "was abducted"

Saturday, 05 May 2007 12:32


Portuguese police investigating the disappearance of a British girl in the Algarve say they believe she has been abducted.

Local police chief Guilhermino Encarnacao said detectives had a suspect in mind who may have taken three-year-old Madeleine McCann, but he was not able to discuss details out of fear of putting her life in danger.

It is thought that Madeleine and her abductor are still in the area she was staying in with her family when last seen.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6623127.stm

[Kezlyn]

They left the 3 year old babysitting two younger children?

I feel for them but they should be charged with negligence.

[LisainWV]

They left the 3 year old babysitting two younger children?

I feel for them but they should be charged with negligence.


DITTO that thought kezlyn. I read that part about three times making sure I had the aging correct. Wow!!

[sherri79]

please say i read this wrong. these 2 doctors did not leave their 3 year old to watch the younger twins while they went out to eat??? wonder how some1 was able to take the child....

[Floh]

Madeleine went missing from her family's rented holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia Da Luz on Thursday night while her parents, Gerry and Kate, were eating their dinner less than a minute's walk away.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2073270,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1

"less than a minute's walk away". still isn't the best choice this couple have ever made in their life, i would believe.

in fact, there isn't a chance i would do this, so i think they were wrong to leave the children alone, even if they were "less than a minute's walk away".

if the police have a description of a suspect, i would be sure they are doing all they can to get this little one back.

Portugal's Judicial Police - the equivalent of Britain's CID - also said they believe that the three-year-old is still alive.

***

Mr Kennedy insisted that Mr and Mrs McCann had acted responsibly when they left the children in the room as they had dinner at a nearby restaurant.

"The children were left only in the sense that when you put your children to bed you don't stay in the room all night. They had dinner in a restaurant in the complex, only a very short distance away from where the children were, and they kept popping back to check on them, as most parents would.

"They are highly responsible parents who are devoted to their family. I can only imagine what they are like at the moment."

[Kezlyn]

The children were left only in the sense that when you put your children to bed you don't stay in the room all night.

I suppose that makes sense, however, if someone jemmied open a window in my son's bedroom I'm sure I'd hear something even if I was at the other end of the house. They would not have been able to hear what was going on in the children's room from a restaurant - too noisy.

Not to mention turning on a tap and drowning, setting a fire, pulling a TV down on themselves, choking, falling off something.... the list goes on.

You can't watch your kids every second of the day and sometimes you do need a break - I should know, I have a 16 month old - but as far as I know, most of these resort type places in Spain have babysitters available for guests to use. And if they are both doctors, they could afford it.

I hope this little girl is found safe.

[Jeana (DP)]

I suppose that makes sense, however, if someone jemmied open a window in my son's bedroom I'm sure I'd hear something even if I was at the other end of the house. They would not have been able to hear what was going on in the children's room from a restaurant - too noisy.




It depends on the size of the house. There's absolutely no way I'd hear someone sliding open a window in certain parts of my house unless the window broke. Of course, my house is alarmed to the hilt, but if it were not, I would'nt hear a thing.

[Floh]

Police Arrest Portugal Child Abductor

Portugese Police have arrested a man in connection with the Maddie McCann child abduction incident in The Algarve in Portugal.

The arrest was made at 06:00am local time at an address only minutes away from where Maddie was taken.

It is not clear at this stage whether the little girl Madeleine McCann has been found but Police say they are confident that she will be returned safe and sound.

The man is thought to be a local unemployed person with previous convictions for child molestation and false imprisonment.

http://www.functionpix.com/index.php/article/Police_Arrest_Portugal_Child_Abductor/1376/

I hope the police are right and the little girl is alive and the family can have a happy ending to this story! sadly, i feel she 's possibly been through more of an ordeal than abduction considering the suspect's previous record. :(

once again, thanks to a member of the public for tipping the police off.

*Note: it seems that there is a media blackout in Portugal over this story. i cannot find the above details anywhere else, so i don't know if the website is accurate. i hope it is!

[Floh]

I still don't guarantee the above report!

***

here is a report telling of the family attending a church service this morning:

Their visit to the church fell on Mother's Day which is marked in Portugal with flowers which are laid at the feet of the Virgin Mary during the service.
In an emotional mass, Madeleine's mother was quietly presented with a bunch of five roses by 14-year-old Altar girl Emily Seromenho, whose own mother is English.
As part of the custom local children arrived at church with flowers, which they presented to their own mothers during the service.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6612234,00.html


How kind the girl presented Madeleine's mother with flowers.

Monsters who take children: may they one day be wiped from the earth. :(

At least 150 worshippers packed the small 16th Century Church for Sunday mass. During the service priest, Father Jose Manuel Pacheco, told the family that the entire community was with them.

As he began the service, which was conducted in Portuguese, he spoke briefly in English saying: "We are here like all Sundays and today we have a very big intention, we want to be with this family, the family of Madeleine. "

[angelmom]

Oh that's horrible. Mother's Day with your baby missing.

If they truly do have him, then where is she????

I hope they find her fast.

[Floh]

OK. the BBC have a few words about the suspect:

Portuguese police say they have a suspect and believe their daughter is alive.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6629471.stm

Let's hope they find her soonest!

and i echo your question: where is she?

[missacorah]

I wonder why they seem sure she is alive. That sounds rather strange. I hope theyre right of course regardless.

The parents are doctors. Something when I read that just really surprised me as they really should have known better than to leave their kids like that. I know the kids were asleep but they werent at home and safe in their beds. They were still among strangers in the hotel.

I heard a phone interview with a relative of the family who said they were checking every half hour at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm which going by my maths is not every half hour. Maybe someone was watching and knew they had an hour to do what needed to be done.

[Floh]

The parents are doctors. Something when I read that just really surprised me as they really should have known better than to leave their kids like that. I know the kids were asleep but they werent at home and safe in their beds. They were still among strangers in the hotel.


I can't fathom the reasoning behind leaving the children alone. :(


I wonder why they seem sure she is alive. That sounds rather strange. I hope theyre right of course regardless.

The M.O. of their suspect, perhaps?

"The man is thought to be a local unemployed person with previous convictions for child molestation and false imprisonment."


I heard a phone interview with a relative of the family who said they were checking every half hour at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm which going by my maths is not every half hour. Maybe someone was watching and knew they had an hour to do what needed to be done.


I think you can bet on it. :(


Officers have a prime suspect but were last night refusing to release any details, including a sketch, for fear of endangering Madeleine's life.
They believe the girl, whose fourth birthday falls this week, is alive and may be being held no more than three miles from where she was abducted. They fear they are now in a race against time to find Madeleine, known as Maddy, before she is murdered.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/06/nmaddy106.xml


This information leads me to think he wasn't working alone? perhaps he has a female companion who is holding Maddy?

[angelmom]

It sounds like the aunt is freaking out a bit and is probably not helping LE. They are obviously trying to keep something quiet, and she is chumming the water.

Still amazes me that 2 educated people who went through so much to have their children would take such a risk. I don't even like to be in the basement when my kids are asleep on the 2nd floor b/c I can't hear them.

I hope they can find this little girl fast.

[Floh]

The 'family-friendly' holiday firm

Three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann was abducted from a Mark Warner resort in Portugal's popular holiday area, the Algarve.

The holiday firm had just one chalet when it began 33 years ago, but now takes about 50,000 people abroad every year, and has developed a family-friendly reputation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/6627799.stm


In pictures: Search for Madeleine

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6629399.stm

The first picture in this set shows the absolutely adorable little Maddy.

[Floh]

It sounds like the aunt is freaking out a bit and is probably not helping LE. They are obviously trying to keep something quiet, and she is chumming the water.

Still amazes me that 2 educated people who went through so much to have their children would take such a risk. I don't even like to be in the basement when my kids are asleep on the 2nd floor b/c I can't hear them.

I hope they can find this little girl fast.



The little girl's Aunt, Philomena McCann, says 'It's abhorrent to suggest bad parenting':

Video

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,30000-1264286,00.html


Madeline's mother givs tearful thanks:

Video

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1264369,.html


Home video of Madeline:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1264373,.html

[Peter Hamilton]

What a precious little girl--looks like her mum--let's hope she is safe,and that cretin didn't touch her

[englishleigh]

What a precious little girl--looks like her mum--let's hope she is safe,and that cretin didn't touch her


I hope so, too, but from the description of the perp it sounds like the best we can really hope for is that she is alive and they will find her quickly.

[MREG2]

It depends on the size of the house. There's absolutely no way I'd hear someone sliding open a window in certain parts of my house unless the window broke. Of course, my house is alarmed to the hilt, but if it were not, I would'nt hear a thing.

You're right...depends on the house. If I was in our basement and my girls where in bed I would not hear them. BUT I would have turned on the baby monitor (like we always do), we have 4 dogs that alert us to when something is in the house (even if it's a fly) and we have a home security system.

My heart aches for this family and that baby and her family are in my prayers. However, I feel they were neglectful of these 3 babies. They were in a different country and not watching them.

I pray she is alive and not being hurt....

[sherri79]

Cops Make Suspect Sketch in Tot's Kidnap (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270294,00.html) this says they dont have him yet.

[Shadow205]

"Officers have received more than 30,000 calls offering information. About 150 investigators have been deployed in Portugal (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270294,00.html#) and are liaising with British police and Interpol."

That is a lot of investigators. I'm impressed. This could be a tourism nightmare for Portugal. I'm thinking that Portugal doesn't want to be looked at like Aruba.

[englishleigh]

Maybe this thread and the one in "Missing" need to be merged.

[Floh]

Maybe this thread and the one in "Missing" need to be merged.

Of course they do, IMO.

it's difficult to know if the thread should be in Missing or Crime, isn't it?

meanwhile, 'Madeleine Kidnapper May Be A Briton'

There is speculation in the Portuguese media*the kidnapper*of three-year-old Madeleine McCann could be British.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1264418,00.html

After so long i'm afraid i don't hold out much hope she'll be recovered alive. :(

i hope if he's a Briton, there will be more of a chance of aprehending him. like he'll stick out as being a foreigner, yes?

Earlier it emerged officers are investigating reports a man was seen dragging a girl towards a marina close to the Algarve resort where she vanished.
A balding man was apparently spotted with a young girl heading towards the marina in the town of Lagos.

I definitely don't like the sound of this. did he put her on a boat and has he sailed far away with her? :(

[englishleigh]

Of course they do, IMO.

it's difficult to know if the thread should be in Missing or Crime, isn't it?

meanwhile, 'Madeleine Kidnapper May Be A Briton'

There is speculation in the Portuguese media*the kidnapper*of three-year-old Madeleine McCann could be British.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1264418,00.html

After so long i'm afraid i don't hold out much hope she'll be recovered alive. :(

i hope if he's a Briton, there will be more of a chance of aprehending him. like he'll stick out as being a foreigner, yes?

Earlier it emerged officers are investigating reports a man was seen dragging a girl towards a marina close to the Algarve resort where she vanished.
A balding man was apparently spotted with a young girl heading towards the marina in the town of Lagos.

I definitely don't like the sound of this. did he put her on a boat and has he sailed far away with her? :(


I would guess the Missing forum is where this belongs, now that it has dragged on so long.

I don't like the sound of the "girl being dragged towards a marina", either. I really don't hold out much hope that this child will be found at all, if that girl was Maddie. This is just terrible. My heart aches for Kate and Gerry.

[kahskye]

The 'family-friendly' holiday firm

Three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann was abducted from a Mark Warner resort in Portugal's popular holiday area, the Algarve.

The holiday firm had just one chalet when it began 33 years ago, but now takes about 50,000 people abroad every year, and has developed a family-friendly reputation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/6627799.stm




This is just terrible to have happened. My dh and I would have ordered room service before we would have ever thought of leaving our dd sleeping. There was also babysitting, and a "dining-out" creche service in the evenings for children aged four months to nine years - parents eating in the resort's restaurants drop the children off and pick them up later, so there's really no reason Maddy and the younger twins should have been alone. JMO!

[jill]

FLOH -

any more word on the article above? I cannot find ANYTHING...

TIA.

[jill]

ok, I found this:

http://portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=18698

Seems to be a local paper, and they give a Monday (5/7/07) update.

[Dena]

"The children were left only in the sense that when you put your children to bed you don't stay in the room all night. They had dinner in a restaurant in the complex, only a very short distance away from where the children were, and they kept popping back to check on them, as most parents would.



I never check on my son, at 2.5 we still use a baby monitor, so I don't need to. (well, I do check on him before I go to bed) I can not understand the rationale behind this one. I hope this little girl is found safe.

[englishleigh]

I never check on my son, at 2.5 we still use a baby monitor, so I don't need to. (well, I do check on him before I go to bed) I can not understand the rationale behind this one. I hope this little girl is found safe.

The rationale is that they were in a strange place and they'd left three babies all by themselves, with no baby monitor.

I still have an issue with those toddlers being left alone. :doh: Anyone think b/c these people are both doctors and likely have a nanny at home for their children, that they just weren't real experienced with taking care of the kids themselves? The kids are all very young so they haven't been parents for long.

[missacorah]

Maddie suspect may be 'British'


By ONLINE REPORTER
May 07, 2007



COMMENT ON THIS STORY (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007210116,00.html#haveYourSay)




THE main suspect in the kidnapping of three-year-old Madeleine McCann could be British, Portugese media reported today.

The Correio da Manha daily newspaper said Portuguese police had produced a picture of the suspect based on testimony from dozens of employees and tourists at the Praia da Luz holiday village.
“It is a medium-sized individual with a strong body,” an unnamed police source was cited by daily Correio da Manha as saying, adding that the suspect is believed to be British.
Meanwhile it was revealed that cops searching for Maddie have only an artist’s impression of the BACK of the prime suspect’s head.

Portuguese police chiefs had said they had a “drawing” of their man.
But local newspaper 24 Horas revealed a witness had seen him from behind and could describe only his hairstyle.
Officers also came in for flak after it was revealed border police were not told of the snatch for 12 HOURS.
Maddie was reported missing at 9.30pm on Thursday. But national newspaper Diario de Noticias said the first the border cops knew of it was when they were given a photo of her the next day.
It means that, with Spain just a 90-minute drive away, the kidnapper could have fled the country unchecked.
There are now more than 150 cops in the hunt, with reinforcements from Lisbon, 200 miles away. But with thousands of holiday homes still locked by absent owners, the search was “slow and unproductive”.
Police believe Maddie is still alive and remains in the Algarve area. They said one possible motive was sexual — but Portugal has NO sexual offenders’ register.
And a damning report by an international child protection group claimed investigations of paedophiles and child traffickers were hampered by corruption and indifference among the authorities.
Homayra Sellier, founder of Swiss-based Innocence in Danger, said plans to set up offices in Portugal had been blocked. She said: “Many of the people are scared to talk if they see something because they have fear.
“What is in front of them is the mob and the mob goes very far up.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007210116,00.html

[suzannej]

I think what ever peoples views are on the issue of should the parents have been away from the children is now beside the point and whatever our views are on this subject are not important. the main issue here is we have a little girl whom is missing and a family whom are besides thereselfs with grief .Lets pray she returns .

[southcitymom]

This is just heartbreaking. I am praying for her safe return to her family.

[kahskye]

I think what ever peoples views are on the issue of should the parents have been away from the children is now beside the point and whatever our views are on this subject are not important. the main issue here is we have a little girl whom is missing and a family whom are besides thereselfs with grief .Lets pray she returns .

Yes, you are so right! It's so easy to say what "we" would do and I'm sure these parents felt their children were safe and secure, plus they were checking on them. We need to focus on finding this precious child. There was that one witness who thought she saw a suspicious couple carrying a child about that time. I'm just hoping it was someone who just wanted a child and that she hasn't been harmed.

[White Rain]

Have these parents never heard of take-out?

[White Rain]

I wonder why they seem sure she is alive. That sounds rather strange. I hope theyre right of course regardless.

The parents are doctors. Something when I read that just really surprised me as they really should have known better than to leave their kids like that. I know the kids were asleep but they werent at home and safe in their beds. They were still among strangers in the hotel.

I heard a phone interview with a relative of the family who said they were checking every half hour at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm which going by my maths is not every half hour. Maybe someone was watching and knew they had an hour to do what needed to be done.


Alot could happen to a child in 30 mins...and it did...this was very irresponsible.

[philamena]

This is so heartbreaking. If the parents made an error in judgment they are suffering every parents nightmare. I hope and pray Madeline is found safe and returned to her parents.

[Gina_M]

A MySpace page has been set up for Madeleine:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=187944155

[White Rain]

Maddie suspect may be 'British'


By ONLINE REPORTER
May 07, 2007



COMMENT ON THIS STORY (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007210116,00.html#haveYourSay)




THE main suspect in the kidnapping of three-year-old Madeleine McCann could be British, Portugese media reported today.

The Correio da Manha daily newspaper said Portuguese police had produced a picture of the suspect based on testimony from dozens of employees and tourists at the Praia da Luz holiday village.
“It is a medium-sized individual with a strong body,” an unnamed police source was cited by daily Correio da Manha as saying, adding that the suspect is believed to be British.
Meanwhile it was revealed that cops searching for Maddie have only an artist’s impression of the BACK of the prime suspect’s head.

Portuguese police chiefs had said they had a “drawing” of their man.
But local newspaper 24 Horas revealed a witness had seen him from behind and could describe only his hairstyle.
Officers also came in for flak after it was revealed border police were not told of the snatch for 12 HOURS.
Maddie was reported missing at 9.30pm on Thursday. But national newspaper Diario de Noticias said the first the border cops knew of it was when they were given a photo of her the next day.
It means that, with Spain just a 90-minute drive away, the kidnapper could have fled the country unchecked.
There are now more than 150 cops in the hunt, with reinforcements from Lisbon, 200 miles away. But with thousands of holiday homes still locked by absent owners, the search was “slow and unproductive”.
Police believe Maddie is still alive and remains in the Algarve area. They said one possible motive was sexual — but Portugal has NO sexual offenders’ register.
And a damning report by an international child protection group claimed investigations of paedophiles and child traffickers were hampered by corruption and indifference among the authorities.
Homayra Sellier, founder of Swiss-based Innocence in Danger, said plans to set up offices in Portugal had been blocked. She said: “Many of the people are scared to talk if they see something because they have fear.
“What is in front of them is the mob and the mob goes very far up.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007210116,00.html


Someone please correct me if I am missing somethere here, as I just casually read/glanced over the story...but we have only the "back impression" of the suspect?
So where is the idea coming from that the suspect may be British?

[Floh]

Has anyone found anything which says what type of doctor Maddy's mum is? i have read her father is a cardiologist.

[misterallgood]

Has anyone found anything which says what type of doctor Maddy's mum is? i have read her father is a cardiologist.

Can't find the link at the moment, but I read yesterday that Kate is a general practitioner. Over here that's usually your family doctor.

[Floh]

Can't find the link at the moment, but I read yesterday that Kate is a general practitioner. Over here that's usually your family doctor.

Thank you. and it is so in Britain.

[dingo]

Have these parents never heard of take-out?or room service.

[Floh]

Staff at the holiday resort where three-year-old Madeleine McCann was snatched were warned two weeks ago of a suspicious man bothering children.

A mother who was at the Mark Warner complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, today told how she raised the alarm after seeing the "weird" man loitering around apartments.

Amanda Mills said: "He was hiding in the shadow outside a ground floor flat yards from where Maddy's family were staying."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23395262-details/Maddy%3A+Staff+were+warned+of+%27weird%27+man+in+s hadows/article.do

What Amanda Mills has to say later in this article really makes me angry. angry with the authorities and the holiday centre.

[twinkiesmom]

Hope they get the witness in front of a sketch artist pronto.

Just wondering...Is this common in UK/Europe to leave small children alone while you go out to dinner?

[Floh]

Hope they get the witness in front of a sketch artist pronto.

Just wondering...Is this common in UK/Europe to leave small children alone while you go out to dinner?

No, not as far as i am aware.

[RoughlyCollie]

Here's a website for the resort in Portugal.

http://www.markwarner.co.uk/summer_holidays/portugal/ocean_club

[RoughlyCollie]

Also, since they know when the wit was at the resort, they can contact other guests who were there in that time period to ask if they saw the suspicious man. If so, they can get descriptions from them as well.

Hope they get the witness in front of a sketch artist pronto.

Just wondering...Is this common in UK/Europe to leave small children alone while you go out to dinner?

[Floh]

Here's a website for the resort in Portugal.

http://www.markwarner.co.uk/summer_holidays/portugal/ocean_club

They say on a a link on their home page, along with support for the McCann family, this:

If anyone has recently visited the Ocean Club, and believes they may have information that could be of use, please email this to customerservices@markwarner.co.uk. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence and no information, no matter how trivial you believe it might be, will be ignored.

[RoughlyCollie]

Yeah welll, it shouldn't have been ignored the first time. That, I have a real hard time swallowing. Are the folks who run that resort so isolated and cosseted that they think they and their guests are safe from heinous crimes?



They say on a a link on their home page, along with support for the McCann family, this:

If anyone has recently visited the Ocean Club, and believes they may have information that could be of use, please email this to customerservices@markwarner.co.uk. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence and no information, no matter how trivial you believe it might be, will be ignored.

[emma l]

No, not as far as i am aware.


It is not common no. However they were yards from the bedroom, with the theory being that you don't sleep in the same room as your children, so they would be fine. The last case of UK child being abducted in Europe while on holiday, that I know of was some 16 years ago.

It is awful, but I do not think we should blame the parents. If I had children I would never leave them alone in a hotel room, but I read a lot of crime websites and am very paranoid!

Someone took the child while she slept. They broke into her bedroom and stole her. I'm afraid that it seems so well planned, that they would have taken the child, no matter what.

[suzannej]

It seems that someone thought they actually saw maddy today but it proved to be a false alarm , how very sad for the parents .tonight at 10 on channel 3( those in england ) they are doing a programme on maddy and how she went missing .
Of what Ive seen so far the English media are totally blaming the police of the way its all been dealt with, such as letting cars and vans go past them on a road bloke as it was raining and the police were taking cover in their cars??? this was filmed for 40 mins . The police I think are actually getting annoyed with the british people for not believing in the way they operate , such as they can not use the media to help in the appeal ??? none of this makes sense to me , all I can say is each to there own . And lets continue praying for the return of this little one .

[dingo]

Kidnap clues examined.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=265331

[Taximom]

It sickened me to hear there might be a pedo ring there where they were vacationing. (Greta Van Susteran last night) I hope she's not being harmed in any way.

Praying for her swift return.

[southcitymom]

I hate to say this, but every day she is not found, I feel that the chances of her safe return decrease dramatically. This case is hurting my heart.

[Megs]

From the above article:

Correio da Manha also reported that the McCanns had left their children alone before during their holiday in the Algarve.
"Police have reconstructed the holiday routines of the McCanns and have come to the conclusion that the children were left alone on other occasions," the daily said.



I found this quite disturbing.... why were they leaving 2 year old twins and a 3 year old alone all the time?

[englishleigh]

From the above article:



I found this quite disturbing.... why were they leaving 2 year old twins and a 3 year old alone all the time?

I find it disturbing, too. I don't understand the logistics of this...I mean, there is no way I would have left my young children, as toddlers, sleeping alone in a strange environment like a hotel/resort while I went to eat, even if it was just downstairs. NO WAY. I wouldn't do it NOW, and the youngest is in 3rd grade. I'm very sorry for them now and I pray hard for Maddy's safe return, but I don't understand the leaving very, very young children alone like this.

[suzannej]

Im Trying To Add This To My Emails But Having Trouble Doing So . tHE FAMILY ARE TRYING TO GET HER PICTURE OUT THERE.

[angelmom]

I find it disturbing, too. I don't understand the logistics of this...I mean, there is no way I would have left my young children, as toddlers, sleeping alone in a strange environment like a hotel/resort while I went to eat, even if it was just downstairs. NO WAY. I wouldn't do it NOW, and the youngest is in 3rd grade. I'm very sorry for them now and I pray hard for Maddy's safe return, but I don't understand the leaving very, very young children alone like this.

It does make you wonder if someone had been watching them and knew that they had made a habit of leaving the children to go out to dinner, etc. That would make the possible predator from before even more significant...maybe he watches on a regular basis and this opportunity was too much for him to pass up.

Praying for Maddie to be found soon!

[White Rain]

Surely a couple of doctors could afford a babysitter, or even a nanny, and could even let them travel with them. When my ex-husband and I took our kids to Disney World we also took along his grandmother to baby-sit so we could have some time alone as well.

[concernedperson]

This sounds more organized than a pedo issue. Where this happened has been happening for years..Portugal and Spain. This little beauty was snatched the difference is her parents got it on the news media worldwide.

[SewingDeb]

An online appeal to help find Madeleine has also been set up.

The appeal, created by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and the Virtual Global Taskforce, is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish on www.ceop.gov.uk.

Crimestoppers have also set up an international number - +44 1883 731 336 - which people with information can call anonymously.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6637469.stm

[White Rain]

Sorry if this has been posted already:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271134,00.html


LISBON, Portugal — Portuguese police are now working on the assumption that Madeleine McCann (javascript:siteSearch('Madeleine McCann');) was abducted "to order" by an international pedophile network, after narrowing the focus of their six-day investigation.
Detectives have now discarded a range of other possibilities, including the theory that the British toddler could have walked out of her Algarve hotel room by herself or was kidnapped for adoption, Portuguese newspapers have reported.
“Everything points to a kidnapping,” a person close to the investigation told Correio da Manhã, adding that police were now exclusively investigating the possibility that she had been captured by a child abuse network. Police sources quoted anonymously by several other local newspapers said the same thing.
Citing local laws, Portuguese police have refused to speak publicly about the state of their investigation. But recent moves have pointed to a renewed focus on international pedophile networks. (more at link)

[White Rain]

Sorry if this has been posted already:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271134,00.html


LISBON, Portugal — Portuguese police are now working on the assumption that Madeleine McCann (http://javascript<b></b>:siteSearch('Madeleine McCann');) was abducted "to order" by an international pedophile network, after narrowing the focus of their six-day investigation.
Detectives have now discarded a range of other possibilities, including the theory that the British toddler could have walked out of her Algarve hotel room by herself or was kidnapped for adoption, Portuguese newspapers have reported.
“Everything points to a kidnapping,” a person close to the investigation told Correio da Manhã, adding that police were now exclusively investigating the possibility that she had been captured by a child abuse network. Police sources quoted anonymously by several other local newspapers said the same thing.
Citing local laws, Portuguese police have refused to speak publicly about the state of their investigation. But recent moves have pointed to a renewed focus on international pedophile networks. (more at link)

I had to comment on my own post...sorry...
abducted "to order"....how SICK is this? It makes me so so so sick to hear these horror stories and see/hear these stories about these poor, gullible, innocent kids...it makes me so sick...I certainly didn't have the best childhood, I faced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse myself, BUT, I am still alive, and I am not saying Madeliene isn't, but the odds get greater everyday...I am so sick for her, and all the other kids out there....so sick...

[Floh]

I had to comment on my own post...sorry...
abducted "to order"....how SICK is this? It makes me so so so sick to hear these horror stories and see/hear these stories about these poor, gullible, innocent kids...it makes me so sick...I certainly didn't have the best childhood, I faced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse myself, BUT, I am still alive, and I am not saying Madeliene isn't, but the odds get greater everyday...I am so sick for her, and all the other kids out there....so sick...

I believe children have been abducted "to order" for many, many years. all over the world. a large percentage, IMO, of missing children haven't been taken by just one nut. highly organised operations are in action. IMO.

sadly, i don't believe Madeleine is coming home, although i long to eat my words. :(

[White Rain]

I believe children have been abducted "to order" for many, many years. all over the world. a large percentage, IMO, of missing children haven't been taken by just one nut. highly organised operations are in action. IMO.

sadly, i don't believe Madeleine is coming home, although i long to eat my words. :(

I believe that, Floh, although it's rare to see it in words, I guess, at least for me anyway. Always before I would always tell myself that things like this really don't happen, but now I find myself wanting to do something about this, I don't care how small a difference it makes in this world, I want to do SOMETHING to help. Anyone with ANY idea how I can help, please see my thread by the same name. Thank you.

[philamena]

What a heartbreaking case.
God please watch over this little one.
Prayers and support to her family.

[mfmangel1]

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/story_pages/news/news1.shtml









HUNT AT BLACK ROCK
By Carole Aye Maung and Ross Hall

POLICE hunting for missing Maddie McCann have dramatically widened their search to an extinct VOLCANO, the News of the World can exclusively reveal.

Teams of officers with sniffer dogs are scouring what one called a "sinister" area called Black Rock near sea cliffs just over a mile from the resort where the youngster was snatched on Thursday.
The search was redirected as the detective leading the hunt said his team had a good idea who the kidnapper was — and that he believes Maddie may still be ALIVE. CAN YOU HELP?

CALL THE POLICE: (00 351) 282 405 400

CALL THE NEWSDESK: (00 44) 207 782 1001


A source close to the Portuguese investigation also told the News of the World that the abductor is believed to have spent days watching Maddie and staking out the McCann family's apartment at the Ocean Club resort in the seaside village of Praia da Luz.

Maddie's mother Kate McCann has made an impassioned plea to the person holding the tot - begging them to let her go.

Clutching a picture of her missing daughter she said:“We would like to say a few words to the person who is with our Madeleine, or has been with Madeleine.

“Madeleine is a beautiful, bright, sunny and caring little girl. She is so special.

“Please, please, do not hurt her. Please do not scare her, please let us know where to find Madeleine or put her in place of safety and tell somebody where.

“We beg you to let Madeleine come home.We need our Madeleine.”

“Sean and Amelie need Madeleine and she needs us. Please give our little girl back. “Por favor, devolva a nossa menina.”

Meanwhile more than 500 British tourists, expats and locals have joined in the ongoing search for the blonde youngster along a six-mile stretch of the coastline.
The search has now shifted to Rocha Negra — a remote area feared by the local community and an ideal hideout.
Furriel Louis Costa, one of the policemen involved in the search, told us: "You would call it Black Rock. It is a very scary and chilling place. The local Portuguese people do not like to go up there. They are too frightened.
Captive



"It is very big and extends high up above the sea which makes it seem very threatening. You can go up there. But no one ever does. It's not a nice place. It is sinister."
He spoke as hopes rose that Maddie might be alive and held captive following a statement earlier in the day from the head of the investigation, Director of the Judicial Police Guilhermino Encarnacao who hinted that they KNOW the kidnapper's identity. He said: "There is a prime suspect and we have a portrait sketch of the suspect. But I am not going to reveal it because it may put the girl's life in danger. We believe that she is still alive and still in Portugal."

Much more at link...

[Floh]

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann left their three children alone in their apartment every night of their holiday because they did not want a stranger to babysit, it has emerged.


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23395686-details/Madeleine%27s+parents+didn%27t+want+to+leave+her+w ith+a+stranger/article.do

Last night police were investigating reports that a blonde youngster was spotted at a motorway service station ten miles from Praia da Luz.
Staff told officers that a woman had come in with the child and told her to say "thank you" in Portuguese. It is understood they were captured on CCTV.

[petra]

I believe that, Floh, although it's rare to see it in words, I guess, at least for me anyway. Always before I would always tell myself that things like this really don't happen, but now I find myself wanting to do something about this, I don't care how small a difference it makes in this world, I want to do SOMETHING to help. Anyone with ANY idea how I can help, please see my thread by the same name. Thank you.


I thought I would post this link from a subgroup of "Save The Children".
There are many things that can be done right from your home with the internet. They are a wonderful, international organization. And can certainly use any help offered. It is a huge, huge problem and undertaking.

Thank you for wanting to do something about the problem.
There are also many other organizations which are involved in child abduction and sex slavery.

Disclaimer- I work with Save the Children, mainly in Eastern Europe, on these issues as well as disaster relief - emergency response.


http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/get_involved/report/index.html


Thanks for caring. Many times it seems just so overwhelming and terribly sad. Hoping for a safe return of Madeline.

[UK Sleuth]

Please read and digest its quite possible this little girl could end up anywhere in the world

Thanks

UK


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6631255.stm

[Floh]

Please see this, so far, three page thread about Madeleine placed here at Websleuths on 05-05-2007, at 02:56

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49197PM

Thanks.

[steph_the_sleuth]

I'm following this on a crimeblog and there's supposed to be a press conference scheduled for 6:30 Portugese time, which I estimate to be 12:30 pm central US time. Praying for good news for this little girl...

[englishleigh]

I'm following this on a crimeblog and there's supposed to be a press conference scheduled for 6:30 Portugese time, which I estimate to be 12:30 pm central US time. Praying for good news for this little girl...

Steph, could you link us to the blog?

[steph_the_sleuth]

Sure, it's http://crimeblog.us/?p=411

I just listened to the press conference on www.sky.com/news. Basically, there's no new developments. It's being discussed on this blog.

[Floh]

"I'm also being told that a town or village has been sealed off near Seville in southern Spain. It is not a long journey to get from the Algarve across the border."


***


Officers have reportedly examined CCTV footage showing a girl fitting Madeleine's description with a woman and two men.
The footage was taken*at a service station*a few miles from the village of Praia da Luz a few days ago, on the road towards Spain.
The Portuguese newspaper, 24 Horas, said the woman was in her 40s, blonde and appeared foreign.
Brunt said police have shown a still from the CCTV to a British tourist who confirmed it showed a man he had to chase off from photographing his daughter.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1264945,00.html

[JP76ER]

If this a pedo ring, it's going to be infuriating. I won't call for all the bad things that we all would like to see happen to them because even though we would like it, it won't happen. We can let our lawmakers know that it's enough. We've had it. These people can't be cured so they can't be walking our streets, period. It's an immediate life sentence without the chance for parole. Life means life. We need to build new prisons strictly for these guys. If we need to pay higher tax to build these, so be it. Let all of the doctors study these people & see if there is something that can be done at a very early age to prevent this. Right now, we can't & we must protect our children. Pedos & Pedo rings need to be rooted out & put away for life. Right now!!!

[englishleigh]

Thank you, Steph!! :blowkiss:

[Floh]

If this a pedo ring, it's going to be infuriating. I won't call for all the bad things that we all would like to see happen to them because even though we would like it, it won't happen. We can let our lawmakers know that it's enough. We've had it. These people can't be cured so they can't be walking our streets, period. It's an immediate life sentence without the chance for parole. Life means life. We need to build new prisons strictly for these guys. If we need to pay higher tax to build these, so be it. Let all of the doctors study these people & see if there is something that can be done at a very early age to prevent this. Right now, we can't & we must protect our children. Pedos & Pedo rings need to be rooted out & put away for life. Right now!!!

What JP76ER said! :furious: :furious: :furious:

[Floh]

Sure, it's http://crimeblog.us/?p=411

I just listened to the press conference on www.sky.com/news. Basically, there's no new developments. It's being discussed on this blog.

Thank you so much for this link, Steph.

[steph_the_sleuth]

You're welcome. I've been following this Sunday and haven't been able to come up with much over here. The sky news website is the most up-to-date I've come across.

It seems Portugese police are required to remain extremely tight-lipped; thus, it was assumed the press conference was going to announce some very bad news. That wasn't the case, so let's hope there's something to the service station sighting.

[angelmom]

I cannot imagine what it must be like to be these parents. A missing child, especially one this young, would just about kill me. It breaks my heart.

On top of that, to be in a foreign country must be horrible. At some point if she isn't found, they may have to face leaving and returning home. How you bring yourself to do that, I do not know.

I imagine Beth Twitty can relate, but she wasn't actually with Natalie in Aruba, and Natalie wasn't a toddler/preschooler who could be living somewhere undercover.

Praying for Maddie's safe return soon!

[dingo]

Search for Maddie winding down:(

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=265331

[White Rain]

I thought I would post this link from a subgroup of "Save The Children".
There are many things that can be done right from your home with the internet. They are a wonderful, international organization. And can certainly use any help offered. It is a huge, huge problem and undertaking.

Thank you for wanting to do something about the problem.
There are also many other organizations which are involved in child abduction and sex slavery.

Disclaimer- I work with Save the Children, mainly in Eastern Europe, on these issues as well as disaster relief - emergency response.


http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/get_involved/report/index.html


Thanks for caring. Many times it seems just so overwhelming and terribly sad. Hoping for a safe return of Madeline.


And I thank you for the link, I will definitely check it out. And I also thank YOU for caring. All the children in this whole world need all the help we can give them.

[SewingDeb]

Lots of information on the suspicious trio. (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23395743-details/Two%20suspects%20in%20'Madeleine'%20CCTV%20footage %20'100%20per%20cent%20identified'/article.do)

[White Rain]

Lots of information on the suspicious trio. (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23395743-details/Two%20suspects%20in%20'Madeleine'%20CCTV%20footage %20'100%20per%20cent%20identified'/article.do)

I'm glad that "fresh" and "useful" leads are coming in.

[SewingDeb]

I hope they find her soon. It's too bad the Portugese police are not able to show the suspect sketch or videos to the public to ask for help.

[philamena]

I hope they find her soon. It's too bad the Portugese police are not able to show the suspect sketch or videos to the public to ask for help.
on one hand I understand them not showing the sketches and video, then again I don't. If the sketches and video enables the public in identifying the kidnappers, show them. This little girl needs to be found asap. Another day could sadly be too late.

[SewingDeb]

That's how I feel...the public could very well be of assistance. Someone may recognize them.

I don't really understand not showing whatever images they have of the suspects but I do know their law forbids it.

[philamena]

Sewing Deb,
Could it be that LE is afraid that the kidnappers will hurt Madeline if they know their faces are all over the media? I still say it's worth a shot though.

[White Rain]

The picture of her little pajamas brought tears to my eyes. She's such a beautiful little girl. How could anyone want to hurt her, or any other child? It's just horrible!
Does anyone know what kind of sentences child molesters get in Portugal?

[RoughlyCollie]

I think that little girl is in so much danger that they should have publicized the tape and broadcast the information about the license plate on the car, when that information was discovered.

Too bad someone who has access to that tape wasn't enough of a maverick to hand it over to the media, putting whatever happened to him or her aside, for the sake of the little girl.

If she is still in Europe, by now they have probably cut and dyed her hair. So the media could also be showing pictures of how her appearance has been altered. It's possible her appearance has been changed to make her look like a little boy.

If Madeline was sold to someone, it's probably too late now to find her, unless someone is willing to risk it for the 1 million pound reward. By now, she could be anywhere, including in some Arab sheik's compound.

I sure hope she is found, unharmed, or at least alive. Her parents must be feeling absolutely helpless and terrified. I don't know how they are managing to take care of their twins and face the media and the police. I would be a basket case by now, and I mean that literally.

Sewing Deb,
Could it be that LE is afraid that the kidnappers will hurt Madeline if they know their faces are all over the media? I still say it's worth a shot though.

[Jayelles]

I've been in contact with the group of people aho have created the "Find Madeline" website. This is what I have posted elsewhere:-

When I was a little girl, we used to play the game "pass it on". Someone would make up a story, tell one person and say "pass it on" and we'd see how far the story would spread.

A week ago, little Madeline McCann was abducted from her hotel room in The Algarve, Portugal whilst her parents ate their evening meal closeby within the hotel complex. They are a very nice family and Madeline's father is a respected cardiologist. He and his wife had been taking it turns to check on their children at half hourly intervals.

Portugese law prevents the police from discussing the investigation - even with the parents of the missing child. Also, such crimes are rare in Portugal and it would appear that the police are under-resourced and under-experienced in dealing with this crime. Experts have been flown in from other countries to help.

It is now felt that she may have been taken out of the country. A Scottish businessman has put up £1 million (almost $2 million) as a reward for information leading to Madeline's return. International footballers David Beckham and Reynaldo (sp) have made TV appeals for her safe return.

A group of volunteers have set up a webpage with the aim of spreading Madeline's photo and the tipline numbers are globally as possible.

www.findmadeline.com (http://www.findmadeline.com/)

Here is a link to a new story (with other links):-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6645341.stm

Click on the link in my signature for the website dedicated to finding Madeline.

In these cases, we often feel helpless. As parents we cannot begin to imagine the horror of having your child abducted and not knowing whether they are alive or dead or what horrors they may be enduring. It is agnonising for us to watch the tv appeals of parents who are suffering our worst nightmare.

However, there IS something that everyone can do - we can "pass it on" - i.e. spread the word. If everyone could post the link to the www.findmadeline.com website just once to ANY other forum with the request for others to do the same, word will spread quickly.

Internet communities CAN help!

[RoughlyCollie]

http://briansdreams.com/dd/5441.htm

[Floh]

So very kind of this man.

"When I saw their faces, I felt frustrated that no one else had yet come forward offering a substantial reward, and so felt compelled to do so myself" - Stephen Winyard

What Stephen Winyard said about his offer of a £1m reward ($1,981,394.59 USD).

The family website for Madeleine: http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/

[Seven]

I believe children have been abducted "to order" for many, many years. all over the world. a large percentage, IMO, of missing children haven't been taken by just one nut. highly organised operations are in action. IMO.

sadly, i don't believe Madeleine is coming home, although i long to eat my words. :(
Sadly true, Floh .... I first became aware of this some years back when I heard a discussion about a ?Franklin scandal? in which children were being snatched off the street in the u.s.a. In that case, they would be flown around the country for sex parties with certain groups (dont remember details now, but i can look it up).

It wouldnt surprise me if the family werent being watched for days, then the kidnappers sent someone to the apartment where the 3 children were "sleeping," knowing exactly where the parents were and that the children were not with them. If someone knocked on the door, what's to say Maddy wouldnt have opened the door? especially if the kidnapper told her something about her parents as an inducement?

it might have been harder for a child selling ring to kidnap Maddy if she and the other two if their parents had taken advantage of the Dine Out option in the Ocean Club ....

~~~~~~~~~~
"Childcare

Mark Warner’s superb childcare facilities for all ages from four months upwards are available and a unique service on offer at the Ocean Club is our ‘Dine Out’ option. As accommodations are spread throughout the village, we offer to keep an eye on the little ones while you go out to eat – just drop them at our kids club, ready for bed and pick them up when you’ve finished."

http://www.markwarner.co.uk/summer_holidays/portugal/ocean_club/resort_details

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[wicket]

This case just sends chills up my spine. I also fear that they have probably changed her appearance and somehow are moving around under the radar of everyone. What I fear is that what they need (Pedophiles) and want is not money - just thinking this scares me. Poor Madeleine. She must be crying, screaming for her parents, having nightmares, sick physically, losing weight. Not understanding what is happening. Personally, I wish every convicted pedophile would just be dropped off on an island with other pedophiles and live out their lives. No connection ever to the outside world.
Unfortunately, the kidnapping of Madeleine could be the catalyst for forcing Portugal to change its attitude of handwringing when it comes to pedophilia in that country. They might need to push for their own version of Amber Alerts.:mad:

[Floh]

I wish we had the equivalent of Amber Alerts throughout Europe.

perhaps Madeleine's disappearance being so high profile across the Union (and the world, i'm seeing) may be the catalyst needed to bring in a Madeleine Alert in Europe?

[twinkiesmom]

You know, I think on this case and Amy Bradley (who I also believe was abducted by a pervert network), and it seems like it's just so unbelievably easy to target people on vacation (relaxed and guard down). Look how fast the search and rescue networks develop when someone goes missing from their home community. When it's a vacation abduction, the criminals have such an even greater upper hand. The surviving family members are disorganized and discombobulated.

[angelmom]

You know, I think on this case and Amy Bradley (who I also believe was abducted by a pervert network), and it seems like it's just so unbelievably easy to target people on vacation (relaxed and guard down). Look how fast the search and rescue networks develop when someone goes missing from their home community. When it's a vacation abduction, the criminals have such an even greater upper hand. The surviving family members are disorganized and discombobulated.

Exactly right. They are less likely to have a recent picture - except on their camera, if they have one with them. Medical and dental records are back home. Friends and family to be interviewed will have to be questioned by another department, so LE are having to delegate all over the place. Not the same as having one or two detectives taking the lead and getting a feel for the family dynamic. The family's support network is far away, and even clothing, meds, and stuff to do for a longer stay will have to be shipped or purchased. Everything is more complicated. And at some point, they have to wonder when to go home. I don't know how, if this happens, you force yourself to leave.

[martin walkerdine]

un-confirmed reports in the investigation into missing girl in portugal are now focusing on a american man who has been staying at the hoilday resort for a while now but has not been seen since the girl disappered and also police are looking for a white van that is in connection with this event also the american man wanted for questioning also has a white van

[englishleigh]

You know, I think on this case and Amy Bradley (who I also believe was abducted by a pervert network), and it seems like it's just so unbelievably easy to target people on vacation (relaxed and guard down). Look how fast the search and rescue networks develop when someone goes missing from their home community. When it's a vacation abduction, the criminals have such an even greater upper hand. The surviving family members are disorganized and discombobulated.

True, since they are in a place that is strange to them, usually, don't know anyone, etc. it makes it so much harder.

I was just thinking this morning. In so many of these cases you are dealing with a lost child, someone who has lost a child. That's horrible enough in a home setting, but this is just too much to bear. How in the world do the McCanns go on now? How do they go home to England now and resume their lives, their medical careers, without their child, without knowing what has happened to Madeleine? Without HER? It seems too much to ask of a mere mortal, yet I know people who lose children manage to do it all the time. But this was a BABY!! Most of the time when a child this young is snatched, it is usually by a non-custodial parent and 9 times out of 10, the child is found safe. But this was a stranger abduction in a foreign country with very few clues, if any, of a baby, a tiny little girl barely out of her nappies. To me, this is the worst possible scenario of someone abducting your child, the worst possible nightmare of strangeness and vulnerablity and not knowing and of loss.

God, please, please let them find this baby somewhere safe!!!!

[RoughlyCollie]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1265391,00.html

[Floh]

New Madeleine poster:

'Look into my eyes'

Madeleine McCann's family believe a new picture of the missing four-year-old could play a vital role in the search for her.
The photo of the youngster shows clearly the her distinctive right eye, where the pupil runs into the blue-green iris.

It is this distinguishing mark that will identify Madeleine to those on the lookout for her, according to aunt and uncle John and Diane McCann.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1265416,00.html

[philamena]

I think that little girl is in so much danger that they should have publicized the tape and broadcast the information about the license plate on the car, when that information was discovered.

Too bad someone who has access to that tape wasn't enough of a maverick to hand it over to the media, putting whatever happened to him or her aside, for the sake of the little girl.

If she is still in Europe, by now they have probably cut and dyed her hair. So the media could also be showing pictures of how her appearance has been altered. It's possible her appearance has been changed to make her look like a little boy.

If Madeline was sold to someone, it's probably too late now to find her, unless someone is willing to risk it for the 1 million pound reward. By now, she could be anywhere, including in some Arab sheik's compound.

I sure hope she is found, unharmed, or at least alive. Her parents must be feeling absolutely helpless and terrified. I don't know how they are managing to take care of their twins and face the media and the police. I would be a basket case by now, and I mean that literally.

I feel the same way. If only the video could have been 'slipped' to the media. I feel sure someone would have recognized the perps and possibly Madeline. Now we're at day 9 of her disappearance. :(

[Pinkhammer]

This incident is being reported as if the parents were really close by the children's room. Actually, the restaurant was 200 yards away from the children's rooms. That's TWO football fields in length. The news reports say "The parents were only a minute's walk away". Can you walk the length of two football fields in one minute? I can't.

Parents in the U.S. are prosecuted every day for leaving the kids "home alone". Children much older than these three little tots.

There is something very suspicious about this whole scenario, and how people are making excuses for incompetent, irresponsible, negligent parents.

[Olivia77]

I've seen lots of posts here and on other sites criticizing the parents. Okay, so maybe they didn't make the wisest choice.

My question is, by bringing up the parents' questionable choice, what are the critics of the parents suggesting? The fact is, we now know not to leave our kids alone in hotel rooms (and yes, many already knew that!) - okay, lesson learned/reiterated.

So critics of the parents, what are you hoping for:

Criminal charges?
- if so, when, now or when Madeline is (hopefully) found? should we throw them in jail as soon as their daughter comes home?

Publicly berate them?

Stop looking for Madeline because they "messed up?"

Seriously, for those who have issues with what the parents did or did not do, what is criticizing them over, and over, and over, and over again actually going to accomplish at this point?

Last time I checked, turning back the clock was an impossibility.

[RoughlyCollie]

Here's an article you may find interesting. I agree with you that the parents definitely were in the wrong. But now I think the focus should be on finding Madeleine. I think that they won't be leaving their children alone again, ever, no matter what happens.

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=740312007

This incident is being reported as if the parents were really close by the children's room. Actually, the restaurant was 200 yards away from the children's rooms. That's TWO football fields in length. The news reports say "The parents were only a minute's walk away". Can you walk the length of two football fields in one minute? I can't.

Parents in the U.S. are prosecuted every day for leaving the kids "home alone". Children much older than these three little tots.

There is something very suspicious about this whole scenario, and how people are making excuses for incompetent, irresponsible, negligent parents.

[kahskye]

New Madeleine poster:

'Look into my eyes'

Madeleine McCann's family believe a new picture of the missing four-year-old could play a vital role in the search for her.
The photo of the youngster shows clearly the her distinctive right eye, where the pupil runs into the blue-green iris.

It is this distinguishing mark that will identify Madeleine to those on the lookout for her, according to aunt and uncle John and Diane McCann.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1265416,00.html


Yes, her one eye is definitely very distinctive. Too bad someone has had so long to change her identity, if so desired. I was just wondering, given her age if Pediatric Optometrist or Ophthalmologist would be able to give her a colored contact lense to hide where the pupil runs into the iris? I don't even know how one would begin to search this out, given the wide range she could be in or taken to. It just hurts me inside to think what this poor baby might be going through. I just pray this little girl will be found and returned to her parents to begin the road of healing.

[philamena]

Yes, her one eye is definitely very distinctive. Too bad someone has had so long to change her identity, if so desired. I was just wondering, given her age if Pediatric Optometrist or Ophthalmologist would be able to give her a colored contact lense to hide where the pupil runs into the iris? I don't even know how one would begin to search this out, given the wide range she could be in or taken to. It just hurts me inside to think what this poor baby might be going through. I just pray this little girl will be found and returned to her parents to begin the road of healing.
I remembered something after reading your post, there are sites on the internet where you can order plain contacts. Meaning they have no RX only color.

[Seven]

I was just thinking this morning. In so many of these cases you are dealing with a lost child, someone who has lost a child. That's horrible enough in a home setting, but this is just too much to bear. How in the world do the McCanns go on now? How do they go home to England now and resume their lives, their medical careers, without their child, without knowing what has happened to Madeleine? Without HER? It seems too much to ask of a mere mortal, yet I know people who lose children manage to do it all the time. But this was a BABY!! Most of the time when a child this young is snatched, it is usually by a non-custodial parent and 9 times out of 10, the child is found safe. But this was a stranger abduction in a foreign country with very few clues, if any, of a baby, a tiny little girl barely out of her nappies. To me, this is the worst possible scenario of someone abducting your child, the worst possible nightmare of strangeness and vulnerablity and not knowing and of loss.

God, please, please let them find this baby somewhere [/URL] (http://smiley.smileycentral.com/download/talking_preview.jhtml?i=F/1/360&partner=ZSzeb075_ZSYYYYYYIXUS) safe!!!!

i was thinking about this same thing .... can you imagine how they will be beating themselves up a hundred times a day for years that they didnt take the children to the babysitting option provided by the hotel?!

it's nothing short of agony .... for years! [URL="http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSYYYYYYIXUS"]http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4_2_1.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSYYYYYYIXUS)
they'll both need psychological support.

God help the McCanns. http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/17/17_1_10.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZSYYYYYYIXUS)

[Bobbisangel]

Such a little cutie. The picture of her parents just breaks my heart. You can see the anguish in the mother's face. I hope they find their little girl and that she is alright. Someone must have been watching this family and knew when the parents stepped out for dinner and how often they checked on the kids.
I just hope and pray that this little girl hasn't come to any harm. I wonder if whoever took her thinks that the parents are wealthy and plan to ask for a ransome at some point?

[Floh]

I've seen lots of posts here and on other sites criticizing the parents. Okay, so maybe they didn't make the wisest choice.

My question is, by bringing up the parents' questionable choice, what are the critics of the parents suggesting? The fact is, we now know not to leave our kids alone in hotel rooms (and yes, many already knew that!) - okay, lesson learned/reiterated.

So critics of the parents, what are you hoping for:

Criminal charges?
- if so, when, now or when Madeline is (hopefully) found? should we throw them in jail as soon as their daughter comes home?

Publicly berate them?

Stop looking for Madeline because they "messed up?"

Seriously, for those who have issues with what the parents did or did not do, what is criticizing them over, and over, and over, and over again actually going to accomplish at this point?

Last time I checked, turning back the clock was an impossibility.


Thank you, Olivia77. :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Floh]

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49197

[RoughlyCollie]

Here's a video in which a former Scotland Yard detective opines that Madeleine may have wandered from home and been picked up by the market the dogs tracked her to:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,30000-1265415,.html

If someone kidnapped her so they could raise her, it could be that they are rationalizing that her parents don't deserve her because they didn't care for her properly.

I can't recall if the parents have come out and said they made a terrible mistake and they are sorry for it and will never do it again. Maybe if they do that, if someone benign (compared to a pedophile) has her, she will be returned. There are all sorts of pathological holier-than-thou people in the world, and if one of them has Madeleine, I can see that happening.

The biggest problem is that if a benign person has Madeleine, how can they return her without being caught? You know that issue has to be on their minds. Also, how can they keep her without being caught? With the huge reward and all the publicity, how can they hope to ever let the child out in public without someone seeing her and reporting it?

If she is with a benign person - someone who is caring for her, not hurting her -- I hope they leave her somewhere where she will be found quickly, somewhere that minimizes their risk. Because if their risk of being caught with her is high, they may sacrifice her to save themselves.

I also wonder why her distinctive right eye wasn't publicized much earlier. Don't police always ask if the child has any identifying marks or features? If someone saw a child they thought might be Madeleine, but they weren't sure and didn't want to get involved (there are people like that), the eye information could have assured them that they were right, and encouraged them to get involved.

It worries me that Madeleine could be anywhere, perhaps not in Europe any more -- Africa is close by, and is on the way to the Middle East, for example.

The American man who lives in the area and hasn't been seen for 10 days, the one who has a white van -- who is he? Where is he? Is he involved? It must add terribly to the parents' distress that these things aren't being publicized.

I don't know how these parents can cope -- any parents of missing children, really. I would be out of my mind with fear for my child, especially after all this time has elapsed with, as far as we know, not much progress having been made.

[RoughlyCollie]

I think people are angry that because Madeleine's parents acted selfishly and irresponsibly by leaving their children alone at night, Madeleine is in this situation.

If Madeleine had not been kidnapped, people around them would, hopefully, have said something to the parents if they found out about their behavior.

I don't think its normal or acceptable for a parent to leave small children unattended so that they can have fun at a restaurant, even if they do check on the children every half hour.

The vast majority of parents sacrifice their own pleasure for their children's safety and care every day.

Unfortunately, Madeleine has been kidnapped. And whatever is happening to her now is a direct result of her parents not taking care of her properly.

People get mad at folks who mistreat their dogs by neglecting to take proper care of them. They feel very sorry for the dog. This is a lot more important. I look at my children and I am glad that I am like the majority of people who would never leave small children alone. Lots of bad things, not just being kidnapped, can happen to small kids who are left alone.

I think that if Madeleine is found unharmed, of course that would be the best scenario. But whatever she is going through -- mentally, emotionally, and physically -- is a direct result of her being left alone that night.

That's what I think people are angry about -- what the parents' selfishness has resulted in for their daughter.

It is horrifying. My goodness, it made the news here in the U.S. when a mother left her children at night, to go to a casino (IIRC). She left her kids in the care of her ex-husband, a meth user. One of the little kids called 911 and told them that Mommy and Daddy had gone bye-bye. When the mother came home, she was arrested. I thought that was pretty horrifying -- the kids being left alone and around drugs and the associated stuff.

These kids were okay, though, thank God. They could have gotten into the meth (the mother made it at home). Just like Madeleine could have drowned had she wandered outside instead of being kidnapped.

It's not like Madeleine's parents are criminals or stupid people. I think that makes people mad, too. I'm not surprised about the behavior of the meth mother, and I'm very glad her children were not harmed by her selfishness and irresponsibility. DSS took her kids.

Madeleine's parents are being punished by the consequences of their acts. They get to keep their remaining children. A huge reward is offered for their child's safe return, the likes of which I have never seen before.

But the fact remains that, IMO, people are angry that Madeleine is suffering because of her parent's irresponsibility and selfishness.



I've seen lots of posts here and on other sites criticizing the parents. Okay, so maybe they didn't make the wisest choice.

[englishleigh]

I think people are angry that because Madeleine's parents acted selfishly and irresponsibly by leaving their children alone at night, Madeleine is in this situation.

If Madeleine had not been kidnapped, people around them would, hopefully, have said something to the parents if they found out about their behavior.

I don't think its normal or acceptable for a parent to leave small children unattended so that they can have fun at a restaurant, even if they do check on the children every half hour.

The vast majority of parents sacrifice their own pleasure for their children's safety and care every day.

Unfortunately, Madeleine has been kidnapped. And whatever is happening to her now is a direct result of her parents not taking care of her properly.



:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Great post, RC. Everything you said is true. I do think now they will never let their remaining children out of their sight, but it's an awful, awful, horrendous way to learn a lesson.

NEVER, EVER LET YOUR YOUNG CHILDREN OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. There were very good, trustworthy babysitting services available at the resort...they said they didn't want "strangers" taking care of their kids, but look what has happened. A stranger now has Madeleine, and you can bet she is not being cared for like the resort babysitters even would have cared for her. She may tragically even be deceased.

No one is suggesting we stop looking for Maddie to punish her parents, or anything else. They have received the worst punishment known to man, to lose a child. Now we must all pray hard they can one day get her back, but it's not looking likely, and pray for their mental states. I just pray they don't turn on each other in their grief. Sean and Amelie need them more than ever.

[Trino]

I suppose that makes sense, however, if someone jemmied open a window in my son's bedroom I'm sure I'd hear something even if I was at the other end of the house. I hope this little girl is found safe.

This is how the baby of Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, and that was years ago before traffic, TV's, etc. A ladder was placed to an upper floor window. The parents did not hear a thing.

While it's great to think you might hear something, it's always possible that you wouldn't, especially if you didn't suspect anything.

[SewingDeb]

One article says the parents DID NOT check the children every half hour as they had claimed. I believe it is linked further up in the thread. Even if they had, that's not enough care for 3 children under age 4, JMO.

It doesn't accomplish anything to criticize them except the word will be out and just maybe another couple won't be foolish enough to leave their toddlers alone while they go out.

Madeleine's Parents Hire British Lawyers

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1265436,00.html

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt adds that Gerry and Kate McCann could also need legal representation as there is a possibility they may be prosecuted for putting their children in danger.

[SewingDeb]

Reward For Madeleine Info Hits £2.6m

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1265397,00.html

[Olivia77]

I think people are angry that because Madeleine's parents acted selfishly and irresponsibly by leaving their children alone at night, Madeleine is in this situation.



I never asked *why* people were angry. In fact, I stated that I completely understand why people are angry. If all someone got from my post was me asking why people are so mad, the point was completely missed.

My question was, what is bringing up their mistake over and over again going to accomplish? Do people honestly believe that the parents are not replaying the moments when they left those kids in the room over and over again, and having regrets?

I understand that it is our place as the general public to form an opinion about their decisions and learn from it. My point was that we see what leaving her in the hotel room has cost them already, and I believe we are all in agreement won't make the same mistakes.

As I asked in my first post, the constant critics must be hoping to accomplish someting by bringing up the fact they left Madeline alone over and over again. What is it they hope to accomplish (because if it's the excuse of "making sure no one else does the same thing," yeah I think we all know that at this juncture!) what DO the critics think their "punishment" should be? Because browbeating them is accomplishing nothing at this point.

As if they haven't already been punished enough...

[Olivia77]

Reward For Madeleine Info Hits £2.6m

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1265397,00.html

Thank you for the links! I am curious if this is the largest reward in history?

[SewingDeb]

Thank you for the links! I am curious if this is the largest reward in history?

You're welcome. I'm not sure if it is (having trouble converting to dollars in my mind). I hope it brings the right information to light.

[SewingDeb]

Video link .

A Story Of Hope For the McCann Family

In 1990 Sally Jones faced a nightmare like the one Kate and Gerry McCann are enduring when her 4-year-old son Simon was abducted. He was missing for eight weeks before being found unharmed. His abductor is still in jail. Sally spoke to Sky's Mark Stone.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1265464,.html

[RoughlyCollie]

I think that people are communicating their feelings, period.

It doesn't do this situation any harm, or good, for that matter.

In fact, the vast majority of the case discussions here on these boards do not help or harm the case itself, IMO.

The parents are not being browbeaten. It's highly unlikely that they are reading these boards. They have to be present and accounted for in order to be browbeaten, IMO.



I never asked *why* people were angry. In fact, I stated that I completely understand why people are angry. If all someone got from my post was me asking why people are so mad, the point was completely missed.

My question was, what is bringing up their mistake over and over again going to accomplish? Do people honestly believe that the parents are not replaying the moments when they left those kids in the room over and over again, and having regrets?

I understand that it is our place as the general public to form an opinion about their decisions and learn from it. My point was that we see what leaving her in the hotel room has cost them already, and I believe we are all in agreement won't make the same mistakes.

As I asked in my first post, the constant critics must be hoping to accomplish someting by bringing up the fact they left Madeline alone over and over again. What is it they hope to accomplish (because if it's the excuse of "making sure no one else does the same thing," yeah I think we all know that at this juncture!) what DO the critics think their "punishment" should be? Because browbeating them is accomplishing nothing at this point.

As if they haven't already been punished enough...

[Floh]

You're welcome. I'm not sure if it is (having trouble converting to dollars in my mind). I hope it brings the right information to light.

£2.6m = 5.15423 USD

I don't know if it's world-wide the largest reward in history, but i believe it to be the largest in the U.K.

[Floh]

Video link .

A Story Of Hope For the McCann Family

In 1990 Sally Jones faced a nightmare like the one Kate and Gerry McCann are enduring when her 4-year-old son Simon was abducted. He was missing for eight weeks before being found unharmed. His abductor is still in jail. Sally spoke to Sky's Mark Stone.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1265464,.html

I enjoyed that interview and it gives hope. i don't know the details behind the Simon Jones abduction as i have failed to find it online.

it appears his mother still doesn't know what happened during those missing weeks. i don't know if the perpetrator was a convicted paedophile.

[missacorah]

ooh it would be interesting to hear whether Simon was taken by someone who genuinely wanted to care for him like you say. Lets hope this is the case with Maddie.

Ive stated before that I saw a phone interview with the aunt of Maddie the day after the abduction and even then she was umming and ahhing about how often the kids were checked on. She said every hour! That gives someone a while to do what they need to!

[angelmom]

I never asked *why* people were angry. In fact, I stated that I completely understand why people are angry. If all someone got from my post was me asking why people are so mad, the point was completely missed.

My question was, what is bringing up their mistake over and over again going to accomplish? Do people honestly believe that the parents are not replaying the moments when they left those kids in the room over and over again, and having regrets?

I understand that it is our place as the general public to form an opinion about their decisions and learn from it. My point was that we see what leaving her in the hotel room has cost them already, and I believe we are all in agreement won't make the same mistakes.

As I asked in my first post, the constant critics must be hoping to accomplish someting by bringing up the fact they left Madeline alone over and over again. What is it they hope to accomplish (because if it's the excuse of "making sure no one else does the same thing," yeah I think we all know that at this juncture!) what DO the critics think their "punishment" should be? Because browbeating them is accomplishing nothing at this point.

As if they haven't already been punished enough...

The only thing I hoped to accomplish by bringing up their parenting choices (other than the usual attempt to reassure myself that this particular incident would never happen to me) was to try to identify the abductor.

If Madeline was left only after she and the twins fell asleep and the parents were truly a very short distance away and checked on them frequently, and if they hadn't done this before, then that really makes one wonder who had the opportunity to take her. How did the person know when they would leave? How did he know they would leave at all? How did he know they wouldn't interrupt him?

But if they did this on a fairly regular basis (as it seems they may have) and left for dinner at a certain time to meet a group at a certain resaurant that was close but not just next door, and if they checked every half hour to an hour, depending on the course of dinner they were on, and if they sometimes didn't actually come all of the way in to check but just peeked in through the open french doors to see that all of the little sleeping heads were still in their beds...well that's a different story altogether.

Yes, Maddie is still missing, but the type of person who would stalk them versus a spontaneous abductor who happened to notice the parents leave the room without the children and just acted on an impulse are two totally different scenarios. I assume the police would create different profiles of these people.

So there is some point to knowing exactly what the pattern was.

[Sundayrain]

I think we all feel for the Mom and Dad.........it is just a horror to have to go through. They must feel so lost, and bewildered.
I think that most of us are just stunned.
I'd never leave a two year old alone, no less.........I wouldn't leave a three year old alone.......I am betting neither would anyone on this thread.
What about fire? What if a stranger comes to the door? What if the two year olds wake for a bottle, or awake sick.
Not to be a critic........I just don't think most of us would do this.
Not until upwards of .........probably over 10 possiably........more like eleven or twelve. Even then its a bit scarey...........
It is just so strange that they are both doctors and felt that this was ok.......
But, I pray for them and Maddie that she will be found soon......

[michelle]

I think we all feel for the Mom and Dad.........it is just a horror to have to go through. They must feel so lost, and bewildered.
I think that most of us are just stunned.
I'd never leave a two year old alone, no less.........I wouldn't leave a three year old alone.......I am betting neither would anyone on this thread.
What about fire? What if a stranger comes to the door? What if the two year olds wake for a bottle, or awake sick.
Not to be a critic........I just don't think most of us would do this.
Not until upwards of .........probably over 10 possiably........more like eleven or twelve. Even then its a bit scarey...........
It is just so strange that they are both doctors and felt that this was ok.......
But, I pray for them and Maddie that she will be found soon......I agree, remember the thread a few months back about the young boy, I think he was 5. His father was working overtime at his job and locked the door at night when he left and a fire started and that poor baby burned to death. How horrific. This is so terrible. I would NEVER leave my son alone.

[englishleigh]

I agree, remember the thread a few months back about the young boy, I think he was 5. His father was working overtime at his job and locked the door at night when he left and a fire started and that poor baby burned to death. How horrific. This is so terrible. I would NEVER leave my son alone.

My children are 13, 10 & 8, and we wouldn't leave them alone unless it was just to run down the street for a second...with the 13 yo in charge of course. Never in a strange place and certainly not in a foreign country. I, too, have wondered about what these parents thought might happen if one of these kids woke up, and woke the others...

I think these parents probably, both being doctors, have nannies for their kids back in the UK and were not thinking straight b/c they probably were not used to much hands-on care of their own children. JMHO.

[michelle]

My children are 13, 10 & 8, and we wouldn't leave them alone unless it was just to run down the street for a second...with the 13 yo in charge of course. Never in a strange place and certainly not in a foreign country. I, too, have wondered about what these parents thought might happen if one of these kids woke up, and woke the others...

I think these parents probably, both being doctors, have nannies for their kids back in the UK and were not thinking straight b/c they probably were not used to much hands-on care of their own children. JMHO.I think you are right.

[Floh]

I think we all feel for the Mom and Dad.........it is just a horror to have to go through. They must feel so lost, and bewildered.
I think that most of us are just stunned.
I'd never leave a two year old alone, no less.........I wouldn't leave a three year old alone.......I am betting neither would anyone on this thread.
What about fire? What if a stranger comes to the door? What if the two year olds wake for a bottle, or awake sick.
Not to be a critic........I just don't think most of us would do this.
Not until upwards of .........probably over 10 possiably........more like eleven or twelve. Even then its a bit scarey...........
It is just so strange that they are both doctors and felt that this was ok.......
But, I pray for them and Maddie that she will be found soon......

But in light of what they did, would you write a beautiful poem for little Madeleine, please. :blowkiss:

(Unless i'm horrbly mistaken, you wrote a beautiful poem for Michelle Fisher's Cassidy?)

[Olivia77]

The only thing I hoped to accomplish by bringing up their parenting choices (other than the usual attempt to reassure myself that this particular incident would never happen to me) was to try to identify the abductor.

If Madeline was left only after she and the twins fell asleep and the parents were truly a very short distance away and checked on them frequently, and if they hadn't done this before, then that really makes one wonder who had the opportunity to take her. How did the person know when they would leave? How did he know they would leave at all? How did he know they wouldn't interrupt him?

But if they did this on a fairly regular basis (as it seems they may have) and left for dinner at a certain time to meet a group at a certain resaurant that was close but not just next door, and if they checked every half hour to an hour, depending on the course of dinner they were on, and if they sometimes didn't actually come all of the way in to check but just peeked in through the open french doors to see that all of the little sleeping heads were still in their beds...well that's a different story altogether.

Yes, Maddie is still missing, but the type of person who would stalk them versus a spontaneous abductor who happened to notice the parents leave the room without the children and just acted on an impulse are two totally different scenarios. I assume the police would create different profiles of these people.

So there is some point to knowing exactly what the pattern was.

Thank you for your reasonable explanation. My comments were more directed to those who have nothing to say other than criticizing the parents repeatedly with no other input or comments regarding the case (I don't consider you in that category).

Nonetheless, I do appreciate your comments. :)

[Olivia77]

I hate that there is no news today. I was really hoping for a break on this case over the weekend. :(

[jilly]

I think these parents probably, both being doctors, have nannies for their kids back in the UK and were not thinking straight b/c they probably were not used to much hands-on care of their own children. JMHO.

Many professional couples I know, will take their nanny with them when they go on vacation.

Here we have 2 very busy professionals trying to have a vacation with 3 small kids. That's a lot of work!

[englishleigh]

Many professional couples I know, will take their nanny with them when they go on vacation.

Here we have 2 very busy professionals trying to have a vacation with 3 small kids. That's a lot of work!

Yes!! Assuming they did have a nanny, I wonder why they did not bring her with them?

praying constantly for Maddie.

[jilly]

Yes!! Assuming they did have a nanny, I wonder why they did not bring her with them?

praying constantly for Maddie.

I'm praying too. I feel very sorry for her parents regardless.

[Kezlyn]

This is how the baby of Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped, and that was years ago before traffic, TV's, etc. A ladder was placed to an upper floor window. The parents did not hear a thing.


Actually, they did hear something (a sound like a "crate breaking") which was the kidnapper's ladder breaking. However, the Lindbergh's were relying on their dog to alert them for intruders, and the dog was at the other end of the house and did not bark. Maybe I wouldn't hear anything either if I was in a house a big as the Lindbergh's, but I'm not likely to ever be!

I guess I will concede that it can happen. Two years ago here in Australia a little girl was taken from her bed - the kidnapper cut the wire screen in the window above the bed and took her, and no one heard anything - including the 3 other children who were asleep in the same bed. She has never been found.

[englishleigh]

I'm praying too. I feel very sorry for her parents regardless.

I do, too. I really do. This has got to be indescribable hell.

[Sundayrain]

But in light of what they did, would you write a beautiful poem for little Madeleine, please. :blowkiss:

(Unless i'm horrbly mistaken, you wrote a beautiful poem for Michelle Fisher's Cassidy?)
Sorry..........I had to run off with a long distance phone call from a dear friend, and then a massive Mothers Day BBQ here..........
But.........
I will do that.........thank you for asking........
I didn't though do one for Cassidy, I don't know that story........
( Its been a busy year around here)
But, I will write one tonight..........night is the best for me with poems.
Maddie......this beautiful ...........sweet ..........girl ...........
Words will never be enough.......I so pray she is found....
I'll be back to you Floh..........by tomorrow sometime.........with a poem for Maddie........

[CarpeDiem]

Actually, they did hear something (a sound like a "crate breaking") which was the kidnapper's ladder breaking. However, the Lindbergh's were relying on their dog to alert them for intruders, and the dog was at the other end of the house and did not bark. Maybe I wouldn't hear anything either if I was in a house a big as the Lindbergh's, but I'm not likely to ever be!

I guess I will concede that it can happen. Two years ago here in Australia a little girl was taken from her bed - the kidnapper cut the wire screen in the window above the bed and took her, and no one heard anything - including the 3 other children who were asleep in the same bed. She has never been found.

It happens here too, Danielle Van Dam, no one heard the perp come or go with her. Jessica Lunsford also. Sabrina Eisenberg - not found and it's been years.

[jilly]

It happens here too, Danielle Van Dam, no one heard the perp come or go with her. Jessica Lunsford also. Sabrina Eisenberg - not found and it's been years.

Can't forget Polly Klaas.:(

[White Rain]

It happens here too, Danielle Van Dam, no one heard the perp come or go with her. Jessica Lunsford also. Sabrina Eisenberg - not found and it's been years.


I just watched a show about the Sabrina Aisenerg case on MSN...I have seen plenty before of course, but I really don't know WHAT to think of her case.
Many prayers for Madeline.

[RoughlyCollie]

I hope Interpol is involved in this.

My DH was telling me about an American couple in Instanbul, staying at a fancy hotel. They went downstairs to get a cup of coffee and a newspaper. When they came back up, their 10 year old son was gone.

The hotel front desk immediately called the authorities. It turned out that Interpol had infiltrated groups of people who procured sex slaves. They worked their informants and found the boy rather quickly. Of course, he was quite traumatized.

According to DH, there are organized groups who watch luxury hotels and resorts for the sole purpose of procuring white children for the sex trade.

DH read about all this in a book. He thinks it is called 'Interpol". It's here somewhere, but I can't find it to double check -- DH has 5,000 books in the living room.

[Trino]

A million dollar reward. Wow. I hope this brings out the kidnapper.

http://video.aol.com/video/million-dollar-reward-for-missing-girl/1905325

[GreenEyedGirl]

It happens here too, Danielle Van Dam, no one heard the perp come or go with her. Jessica Lunsford also. Sabrina Eisenberg - not found and it's been years.

You know, that's extremely scary if you think about it. When I put my son to bed at night, I always put the dog in there with him. I know the dog will bark if he hears any kind of noise. But, it still scares me. Also, my house is incredibly small, so I think I might hear something, but you never know. I pray they find Maddie soon and that she is perfectly fine!

[englishleigh]

I hope Interpol is involved in this.



I think I read that they are, RC. Good thought, though. I'm so happy those people got their son back...:clap: :clap: :clap:

[CarpeDiem]

Can't forget Polly Klaas.:(

Indeed, I didn't mention her or Elizabeth Smart because the perp was heard/seen in those cases.

Polly Klaas is an angel and I have much respect for her Dad.

[N8tiveNYR]

Thank you, Olivia77. :clap: :clap: :clap:

I totally agree. At this point the focus must be on finding the child. The parents made the biggest mistake of their lives and they know it. They will have to live with it forever. If people start to judge and whisper about and even suspect the parents it only wastes precious time in finding Madeline. It becomes that snowball effect. Remember the Ayers Rock case in Australia. Eventually the evidence was found th